Agribusiness Update for Monday 11/18/13

Last week the House Committee on Natural Resources approved Congressman Doc Hastings' bill H.R. 1308, the "Endangered Salmon and Fisheries Predation Prevention Act," by a bipartisan vote of 22 to 16.  This legislation is aimed at protecting endangered Columbia River salmon and other fish species from predation by California and Steller Sea Lions.  The bill only addresses sea lions that are not listed under the Endangered Species Act.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says when it comes to genetically modified food ingredients there is not a proven question of safety. Vilsack points out that that the USDA already has labels for "Organic" and "Natural" food products which could use improving. Vilsack says all signs point to technology for conveying information about the foods we buy at the store.

A while back we were talking a lot about the Census of Ag. Well the National Agricultural Statistics Service has announced it will release the preliminary results of the 2012 Census of Agriculture on February 20, 2014. The release will occur at the Ag Outlook Forum. It will provide a first look at national and state findings. The full Census results will be released at a later date.

That's today's Agribusiness Update from the Ag Information Network.